Diocese of Rochester
| Diocese of Rochester Church of England | |
| Province: | Canterbury |
|---|---|
| counties: | Kent |
 | |
| Bishop: | James Langstaff |
| signs as: | Roffen |
| Cathedral: | Rochester Cathedral |
| Organisation | |
| Archdeaconries: | Bromley & Bexley Rochester, Tonbridge |
| No. of parishes: | 218 |
| No. of churches: | 268 |
| Details | |
| Website: | rochester.anglican.org |
The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese which ministers to western Kent. It forms part of the Province of Canterbury. Rochester is an ancient diocese, established in 604; only the neighbouring Diocese of Canterbury is older in the Church of England.
The diocese is divided into three archdeaconries:
- Archdeaconry of Bromley & Bexley (Archdeacon: The Venerable Paul Wright)
- Archdeaconry of Rochester (Archdeacon: The Venerable Simon Burton-Jones)
- Archdeaconry of Tonbridge (Archdeacon: The Venerable Clive Mansell)
The current diocesan boundaries roughly match its pre-19th century extent. On 1 January 1846 the Hertfordshire territories of the Diocese of Lincoln and Diocese of London, and Essex, from the London diocese, were added to Rochester.[1] In 1877 however, Essex and Hertfordshire became the new Diocese of St Albans. Meanwhile, on 1 August 1877,[2] Rochester gained part of the Diocese of Winchester, in eastern Surrey. This became an independent diocese, Southwark, in 1905.
The Bishop of Rochester is currently the Right Reverend James Langstaff. The suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Tonbridge, is currently the Right Reverend Brian Castle.
Bishops
Pre-Conquest
| Pre-Conquest Bishops of Rochester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 604 | 624 | Justus | |
| 624 | 633 | Romanus | |
| 633 | 644 | Paulinus of York | |
| 644 | 664 | Ithamar | |
| 664 | 669 | Damianus | |
| 669 | 676 | Putta | |
| 676 | 678 | Cwichelm | |
| 678 | 716 | Gebmund | |
| 716 | 727 | Tobias | |
| 727 | 741 | Ealdwulf | |
| 741 | 747 | Dunn | |
| 747 | 772 | Eardwulf | |
| 772 | 785 | Diora | |
| 785 | 805 | Waermund (I) | |
| 805 | 844 | Beornmod | |
| 844 | 868 | Tatnoth | |
| 868 | 868 | Badenoth | |
| 868 | 868 | Waermund (II) | |
| 868 | 880 | Cuthwulf | |
| 880 | 900 | Swithwulf | |
| 900 | c.926 | Ceolmund | |
| c.926 | c.934? | Cyneferth | |
| c.934 | 949 | Burgric | |
| 949 | 955 | Beorhtsige | |
| 955 | 964 | Daniel | Bishop of Rochester or Selsey |
| 964 | 995 | Ælfstan | |
| 995 | 1046 | Godwine (I) | |
| 1046 | 1058 | Godwine (II) | |
| 1058 | 1076 | Siward | |
Conquest to Reformation
| Bishops of Rochester (Conquest to Reformation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1076 | 1077 | Arnost | |
| 1077 | 1108 | Gundulf | Builder of Rochester Castle and the White Tower (Tower of London) |
| 1108 | 1115 | Ralph d'Escures | |
| 1115 | 1125 | Ernulf | |
| 1125 | 1137 | John | |
| 1137 | 1142 | John II | |
| 1142 | 1148 | Ascelin | |
| 1148 | 1182 | Walter | |
| 1182 | 1185 | Waleran | |
| 1185 | 1215 | Gilbert Glanvill | |
| 1215 | 1227 | Benedict of Sausetun (Benedict of Sawston) |
|
| 1227 | 1238 | Henry Sandford | |
| 1238 | 1251 | Richard Wendene | |
| 1251 | 1274 | Lawrence of St Martin | |
| 1274 | 1278 | Walter de Merton | Formerly Archdeacon of Bath and Lord Chancellor |
| 1278 | 1283 | John Bradfield | |
| 1283 | 1283 | John Kirkby | Resigned. |
| 1283 | 1292 | Thomas Ingoldsthorpe | |
| 1292 | 1319 | Thomas Wouldham | |
| 1319 | 1353 | Hamo Hethe | |
| 1353 | 1362 | John Sheppey | |
| 1362 | 1364 | William Whittlesey | |
| 1364 | 1373 | Thomas Trilleck | |
| 1373 | 1389 | Thomas Brinton | |
| 1389 | 1400 | William Bottlesham (William Bottisham) |
|
| 1400 | 1404 | John Bottlesham | |
| 1404 | 1419 | Richard Young | |
| 1419 | 1422 | John Kemp | |
| 1422 | 1435 | John Langdon | |
| 1435 | 1437 | Thomas Brunce | |
| 1437 | 1444 | William Wells | |
| 1444 | 1468 | John Low | |
| 1468 | 1472 | Thomas Rotherham (Thomas Scott) |
|
| 1472 | 1476 | John Alcock | |
| 1476 | 1480 | John Russell | |
| 1480 | 1493 | Edmund Audley | |
| 1493 | 1497 | Thomas Savage | |
| 1497 | 1504 | Richard FitzJames | |
| 1504 | 1535 | John Fisher | Cardinal |
From the Reformation
| Post-Reformation Bishops of Rochester | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes |
| 1535 | 1540 | John Hilsey (John Hildesleigh) |
|
| 1540 | 1544 | Nicholas Heath | Translated to Worcester |
| 1544 | 1547 | Henry Holbeach | |
| 1547 | 1550 | Nicholas Ridley | Martyred |
| 1550 | 1551 | John Ponet (John Poynet) |
|
| 1551 | 1552 | John Scory | |
| 1554 | 1558 | Maurice Griffith | |
| 1559 | 1559 | Edmund Allen |
Died before filling his position. |
| 1560 | 1572 | Edmund Gheast (Edmund Guest) |
|
| 1572 | 1576 | Edmund Freke | |
| 1576 | 1578 | John Piers | |
| 1578 | 1605 | John Young | |
| 1605 | 1608 | William Barlow | Translated to Lincoln 1608 |
| 1608 | 1611 | Richard Neile | |
| 1611 | 1628 | John Buckeridge | |
| 1628 | 1630 | Walter Curle | |
| 1630 | 1638 | John Bowle | |
| 1638 | 1666 | John Warner | |
| 1666 | 1683 | John Dolben | |
| 1683 | 1684 | Francis Turner | |
| 1684 | 1713 | Thomas Sprat | |
| 1713 | 1723 | Francis Atterbury | |
| 1723 | 1731 | Samuel Bradford | |
| 1731 | 1756 | Joseph Wilcocks | |
| 1756 | 1774 | Zachary Pearce | |
| 1774 | 1793 | John Thomas | |
| 1793 | 1802 | Samuel Horsley | |
| 1802 | 1809 | Thomas Dampier | |
| 1809 | 1827 | Walker King | |
| 1827 | 1827 | Hugh Percy | Translated to Carlisle. |
| 1827 | 1860 | George Murray | |
| 1860 | 1867 | Joseph Wigram | |
| 1867 | 1877 | Thomas Claughton | |
| 1877 | 1891 | Anthony Thorold | |
| 1891 | 1895 | Randall Davidson | Later Archbishop of Canterbury then Lord Davidson of Lambeth |
| 1895 | 1905 | Edward Talbot | |
| 1905 | 1930 | John Harmer | |
| 1930 | 1940 | Linton Smith | |
| 1940 | 1961 | Christopher Chavasse | |
| 1961 | 1988 | David Say | |
| 1988 | 1994 | Michael Turnbull | |
| 1994 | 2009 | Michael Nazir-Ali | |
| 2010 | present | James Langstaff | |
Outside links
- Diocese of Rochester website
- Church In Society, a community charity associated with the Dioceses of Canterbury and Rochester
References
- ↑ The Dioceses of England: An Outline History, page 34
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 24483, p. 4189, 17 July 1877. Retrieved 4 March 2012.